1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the application of cosmetics, specifically to a magnifying lens made for a mascara container, or similar cosmetic container, customized to fit, and detachably affixing onto the cosmetic container cap.
2. Description of Prior Art
A significant segment of the female population wears mascara, applied from a portable carrier having a base containing the mascara and a cap which both serves as a handle for the brush-like mascara wand, and as a cover that fits over the base and protects the mascara from contaminants. Such mascara carriers are convenient, as they are small, may be easily carried in a pocket or purse, and can be applied pretty much anytime and anywhere. As it is desirable to have mascara carefully applied onto the eyelashes, it is generally desirable to have a mirror available during the mascara application to ensure the mascara is applied only to the desired areas. However, a significant portion of the female population, especially those over the age of 40 whose eyesight makes it increasingly difficult to view and work with objects up close, finds it difficult to apply mascara using a conventional mirror without some form of magnification.
The process of applying mascara requires two hands—one to hold the base containing the mascara, and one to hold the wand for repeatedly dipping into the base and then applying to the lashes. Most public mirrors are not magnified, and public facilities generally do not offer magnified mirrors for make-up application. And if attempting to use a personal, hand-held magnifying mirror, or compact, while holding the mascara wand in one hand, and holding the mirror in the other hand, one must put down the mirror and pick up the base, so as to re-dip the wand therein, then put down the base and pick up the mirror again to continue. And one must then repeat this cumbersome series of picking up and putting down each time the wand needs to be re-dipped into the mascara. Thus, the need for magnification complicates the mascara application process, wherever a hands-free magnification device situated at eye level is not conveniently available, as is often the case at home, and almost always the case in public.
It is known in the prior art to provide a magnifying mirror within a cosmetic compact. A recent example, U.S. Pat. No. D331,818, discloses a design for a compact and magnifying lens, entitled “Combined Cosmetic Compact and Magnifying Lens.” The trouble with such devices however, is that when applying mascara, one requires either a third hand, or a surface very close to eye level, in order to hold the mirror so that it may be used without having to constantly pick it up and put it down. Such devices are primarily designed to be held in the hand, and when placed on a table or shelf, even though the mirror may be angled, they are still difficult to use discretely and graciously, and their use is restricted to the location of the shelf or table surface, however distant or inconvenient.
Further prior art makes use of a mirror affixed directly to the end of the cap of a cosmetic carrying case. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,755 to Bunk entitled, “Lipstick Holder With Mirror” discloses a lipstick holder having a cylindrical cap with a round mirror affixed to an end portion of the cap. The mirror is either fixedly mounted to the cap, or rotatably mounted at an eccentric point to rotate away from the footprint of the cap. While providing some benefit in allowing a user to view the lipstick as it is being applied, this design has drawbacks in that the mirror is relatively small and furthermore, it is attached to the lipstick cap. Therefore, when the lipstick in the carrier has been used up, the mirror must be thrown away along with the lipstick base and cap. And if this type of prior art were applied to a mascara tube, with the mirror at the end of the base that holds the mascara, the mirror would be impossibly small, given how thin mascara containers are typically designed. Also, the mirror would be impossible to view while applying mascara with the wand and holding the base ready for dipping, unless one were to constantly change hand positions.
Similar prior art features a mirror along the edge of the carrier, as opposed to on the end. U.S. Pat. No. D431,323 to Mills-Kaplan, entitled “Cosmetic Container With Mirror,” is just one example, disclosing a lipstick holder with a mirror recessed and built into the length of the side of the container. Again, the drawbacks to this style of cosmetic mirror are similar to the first kind of prior art cited. The mirror must be thrown away when the cosmetic is finished. And the size of the mirror is limited to the diameter of the container, which in the case of mascara especially, would be impossibly thin.
Another prior art invention offers yet another solution to the cosmetic mirror problem. Pub. No. 20040173235 to Kim, provides a lipstick accessory that attaches and detaches easily to various types of cosmetic containers, entitled, “Decorative Mirrored Lipstick Attachment.” The invention discloses a devise resembling a wrist watch, with a mirror attached in the back to an elastic band which slips over a lipstick tube or similar cosmetic container. This design overcomes some key drawbacks with the previously cited styles of prior art. The mirror need not be thrown away when the cosmetic is used up. The size of the mirror is not limited to the diameter of the container. The apparatus is also adaptable to various sized containers. However, this particular application does not claim the use of a magnifying mirror, nor a lens, nor could a lens be substituted for the mirror in this design, as the mirror is attached to the elastic band on the back, and thus if a transparent lens were used, the view through the lens would be completely obscured by the band.
Another prior invention, U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,740 to Sussman, discloses a “Protective Cap And Mirror Unit For Cosmetic Pencil.” In this design, a mirror is affixed to a tube-shaped cap, which slides over the pointed end of a cosmetic pencil. The drawback of this invention is that its claims and use are limited to pencils. It is not adaptable to various sized containers. Also, it does not claim the use of a magnifying mirror, nor a lens, nor could a lens be substituted for the mirror in this design, as the mirror is attached to the tube-shaped cap directly on the back, and thus if a transparent lens were used, the view through the lens would be completely obscured by the cap.
A final prior art reference, Pub. No. 20050150513 to Taylor, is entitled “Cosmetic Mirror Detachably Affixed To Lipstick Carrier.” The invention discloses a mirror attached to a base. The base has an aperture that accommodates various sized cosmetic containers, and the mirror is part of a lid or cover that can be opened and closed against the base to protect the mirror when not in use. In an alternative embodiment, the mirror may be housed within a slot for storage, and withdrawn from the slot for use. Like Pub. No. 20040173235 to Kim, this invention has a mirror, and features adaptability and reusability, without restricting the size of the mirror to the size of the cosmetic container. However, it too does not claim the use of a magnifying mirror, only a plain mirror. Nor does it propose or claim the use of a magnifying lens. With no suitable means of magnification, this invention is of no use to the class of women for whom the present invention is intended.